Murder is the crime of intentionally causing the death of another human being, without lawful excuse. When an illegal death was not caused intentionally, but was caused by recklessness or negligence (or there is some defense, such as diminished capacity), the crime committed is manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide , which are considered to be less serious than murder. Manslaughter is often broken into two categories: involuntary manslaughter and voluntary manslaughter.

The unlawful killing of a human being with deliberate intent to kill: (1) murder in the first degree is characterized by premeditation; (2) murder in the second degree is characterized by a sudden and instantaneous intent to kill or to cause injury without caring whether the injury kills or not.

Melissa Mendoza's boyfriend, Daniel Roberts, of Sabattus, Maine admits shooting her. He says it was in self-defense, and that he was protecting their two-year old daughter. How could a gunshot wound to the BACK of the head be classified as self-defense??

**JonBenét Ramsey**- In 1996, the Christmas night murder of JonBenét Ramsey in her Boulder, CO home stunned the nation. No one has ever been charged with her murder.

Despite the long investigation, Grand Jury proceedings and constant media attention surrounding this case, it is unclear as to who could have done such a horrible thing, and exactly why and how this six-year-old child was murdered. There remained an "umbrella of suspicion" surrounding her parents for years, but there was no hard evidence to prove what really happened 8 1/2 years ago.

***Joel Steinberg - Convicted child-killer Joel Steinberg, spurned by his new neighbors and chased by a media horde, stumbled to freedom Wednesday, July 7, 2004, after nearly 17 years in jail for the beating death of his 6-year-old adopted daughter.

Jayson Williams Trial — **Full trial coverage** The former NBA star faces 55 years in prison if convicted of aggravated manslaughter and other charges stemming from the Feb. 14, 2002, shooting of a limo driver at his mansion and an alleged attempt to make the death look like a suicide.

Ricky Dyer Jr. - Ricky Dyer, 21, was found in his car on July 17, 1993, in the hills of Sparks, Nevada, with the left side of his head blown off. Ten minutes after the first officer arrived at the scene, the Storey County Sheriff's Department ruled it a suicide. His family believes it was murder.

Teen Pleads Guilty to Murder -
A teenager who was convicted and then granted a new trial for allegedly stabbing a friend to death at a sleep-over party has instead entered a plea bargain with prosecutors.

Robert Blake and the Murder of Bonny Lee Bakley - On the evening of May 4, 2001, actor Robert Blake and his wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, ate dinner at an Italian restaurant in Los Angeles. After they walked back to their car, according to Blake, he realized he'd left his gun inside the restaurant -- a gun he was carrying because Bakley believed her life was in danger. Blake left Bakley in the car and walked back to the restaurant...

Ward Weaver & the Murders of Ashley Pond and Miranda Gaddis - On January 9, 2002, 12-year-old Ashley Pond disappeared on her way to school from her Oregon City (Oregon) apartment complex. On March 8, her 13-year-old friend, Miranda Gaddis, disappeared as well. During the weekend of August 24 and 25, their bodies were found on the property of a home rented by Ward Weaver III, a neighbor, who now stands accused of abducting and murdering the girls.

UPDATE! Rae Carruth - Since being sentenced to a 19- to 24-year term for conspiracy to commit murder, former Carolina Panther Rae Carruth has been hit with more bad news. His appeals were rejected, he and his co-defendants were ordered to pay $6 million to Cherica Adams' estate and a judge ruled his son, now 4, cannot be forced to visit him in prison.

Heather Coffin - A Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-area man charged with raping and murdering a 10-year-old girl in her bedroom 16 years ago waived a preliminary court hearing, allowing the case to go directly to trial.

PRINCESS DOE - Princess Doe, an unidentified teen between 14 and 18 years old, was dumped in a ravine off Route 94 in the small New Jersey community just 15 minutes from Stroudsburg in July 1982. Despite the case still being open to this day, authorities do not know who the girl is or how she ended up bludgeoned beyond recognition in rural northern New Jersey.

Charles Manson Victims- A glimpse into the absolute horror of the almost 35 year old murders at the Sharon Tate/Roman Polanski and the Leno and Rosemary LaBianca homes in August of 1969. WARNING!!! EXTREMELY GRAPHIC PHOTOS depicting the carnage that Charles Manson and his "family" members inflicted on innocent victims are shown. Some of the photos are gruesome and shocking, and are posted as reference to be used for forum discussion purposes only; in hopes that those unbelievably heartless members of "the Manson family" NEVER re-enter society again.

Columbine-
Five years ago, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murdered their classmates and a teacher at Columbine High School. Most Americans have reached one of two wrong conclusions about why they did it. The first conclusion is that the pair of supposed "Trench Coat Mafia outcasts" were taking revenge against the bullies who had made school miserable for them. The second conclusion is that the massacre was inexplicable: We can never understand what drove them to such horrific violence.

The Tylenol Murders - Seven people died of cyanide poisoning between 29 September and 1 October 1982, all after having taken Tylenol. Although the case is officially listed as "unsolved," it appears this was a bona fide random poisoning and not an attempt to cover up the murder of one individual by randomly killing six others.

1912 Villisca, Iowa axe murders - Early Monday morning, June 10, 1912, Villisca, Iowa, a small robust, rural community of 2,500, awoke to discover eight of their own - the Josiah Moore family of six, and two young visiting guests, Lena and Ina Stillinger - had been murdered with an axe during the night.

Death by Murder-
(Essay) Gathering as much information as possible about the conditions under which murder can occur is a major step towards being able to take preventative action. A prudent step towards reducing one's chance of being murdered is to avoid being in the wrong place at the wrong time. So it therefore seems reasonable to begin by determining what some of the "wrong places" are.

When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 1999 Homicide Data The Violence Policy Center is a national non-profit educational foundation that conducts research on violence in America and works to develop violence-reduction policies and proposals. The Center examines the role of firearms in America, conducts research on firearms violence, and explores new ways to decrease firearm-related death and injury.

Profile of Women Incarcerated For Murder in Oklahoma -
Traditionally, women have comprised a small percentage of the prison population in the United States and therefore, have not been a major focus in criminological research (Anderson, 1980). Yet, in recent decades the female inmate population has grown at a rate far greater than that of males (American Correctional Association, 1990).

Atlanta Child Murders - On November 6, 1980, the Attorney General directed the FBI to participate in the investigation of several missing and murdered children in Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to working an independent investigation, the FBI assisted the local task force with manpower, guidance and technical assistance. On February 27, 1982, Wayne Bertram Williams was found guilty on two counts of murder in Fulton County Superior Court, Atlanta, Georgia. He was sentenced to two consecutive life terms.

Before the Needles -- A detailed State by State listing of 14,490 executions that occurred under civil authority in the United States. Includes the convict's name, age, race, sex, occupation, crime, date of execution, method of execution and whether it was a single or multiple execution.

September 11: Chronology of terror -
8:45 a.m. (all times are EDT): A hijacked passenger jet, American Airlines Flight 11 out of Boston, Massachusetts, crashes into the north tower of the World Trade Center, tearing a gaping hole in the building and setting it afire.

Murder At Locker 02-069 -
The story of one of America's first school shooters, a brilliant loner, and what he has become in the 23 years since. It's also a story of what we have become.

The Valessa Robinson Case -
A Tampa teenager on trial, accused of killing her mother. What happened in this case in which so little seems to make sense?

A Killing in Central Park -
one of the most sensational murder cases in New York City's history: the brutal killing of 18-year-old Jennifer Levin that came to be known as the Preppie Murder Case.

Susan Smith -
Susan Smith took the lives of her children the night of October 25, 1994. To this day, the question still asked is how could she do it? Susan Smith committed the most unthinkable act when she broke humanity's most sacred trust, the love of a mother for her children.

Andrea Pia Yates -
Clear Lake woman who drowned her five children in a bathtub in June 2001, is appealing her capital murder conviction, which ended with a life sentence.

Murder in Yosemite -
a jury handed down the death penalty as punishment for the murders of Yosemite National Park tourists Carole Sund, 42; her daughter, Juli, 15; and their Argentine friend, Silvina Pelosso, 16, in February 1999.

Charles Whitman -
Charles J. Whitman of Austin, TX picked up his wife from her summer job as a telephone operator and dropped her off at home. He then drove across town to his mother's apartment and stabbed her five times, shot her once in the back of the head, and squeezed her left hand so hard that her engagement ring broke her finger and the stone in it broke. He left a note on her nightstand. He then drove home and stabbed his wife four times (for the number of years they had been together).

Murder in Amityville -
This never-aired TV documentary, hosted by parapsychologist Hans Holzer, was about the real-life murders committed in Amityville, NY. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo killed his entire family in the house that would be come to further fame in The Amityville Horror , later claiming demonic forces made him do it.

Moors Murderers -
10-year-old Canadian, Lesley Ann Downey, had vanished without trace on Boxing Day 1964 after going to a fun fair with friends.

Barbara Graham - Received the Death Penalty for the
March 11, 1953
murder of
a Burbank , CA resident, Mabel Monohan, a 62-year-old widow who lived alone.

The Jordans Murder -
A naked body left dangling on a fence, the victim of a strange murder, smashed the Sabbath morning peace of a small Quaker village. This gruesome object, all that was left of an apparently wealthy man, was found propped on a stile at the turn of a lonely country road. It seemed the perfect crime, for there was not the faintest clue as to the killer's identity.

Murder In Monaco - When billionaire banker Edmond Safra died in a fire, an American ex-Green Beret was charged with setting the blaze. Is he guilty?

THE MURDER OF DAVID KELLY -
On Thursday, July 17th sometime between 3 and 3:30pm, Dr. David Kelly started out on his usual afternoon walk. About 18 hours later, searchers found his body, left wrist slit, in a secluded lane on Harrowdown Hill.

THEY WERE LISTENING TO MURDER - THE ONLY MESSAGE THAT CAME OVER THE WIRE WERE THREE LOUD GUN EXPLOSIONS. POLICE KNEW THEN THAT THEY WERE LISTENING TO MURDER!

Invitation To A Murder -
A violent intruder beats a woman to death. He's caught in the act by the woman's husband, who shoots the man in the head.
Over the years, two dramatically different versions have emerged of how Donnah Winger died -- and only one can be the truth.

Cold case file -
Twenty-three years ago, a brutal murder shook a Buzzards Bay family. Today, it is still waiting for justice.

Can sleepwalking be a murder defense? - The answer to the question in the title is: "possibly." While I have never been involved in any legal case involving sleep walking, the situation is interesting enough to recount a few cases and discuss the problem.

A WRONGFUL CONVICTION -
An Innocent Man Was Sentenced to Life Has Spent 21 Years in Prison for a Murder He Did Not Commit!

Internet Legal Resource Guide - A categorized index of more than 4000 select web sites in 238 nations, islands, and territories , as well as thousands of locally stored web pages, legal forms, and downloadable files, this site was established in 1995 to serve as a comprehensive resource of the information available on the Internet concerning law and the legal profession, with an emphasis on the United States of America . Designed for everyone, lay persons and legal scholars alike, it is quality controlled to include only the most substantive legal resources online.

Waco Holocaust Electronic Museum

Sources of Information -In assembling the Waco Holocaust Electronic Museum, the listed information sources were consulted. A specific listing of these and other applicable materials can be found in the Bibliography.

Murder in Families

This BJS Special Report, a survey of murder cases disposed in 1988 in the courts of large urban counties, found that 16% of murder victims were members of the defendant's family: 6.5% were killed by their spouses, 3.5% by their parents, 1.9% by their own children, 1.5% by their siblings, and 2.6% by other relatives. Women were 45% of the victims in murders involving family members but 18% of victims in other murders. Among family murder defendants, 35% were female versus 7% among nonfamily defendants. Women were over half of the defendants (55%) in only one category of family murder: parents killing their offspring. Firearms were used in 42% of family murders, compared to 63% of nonfamily murders. 7/94 NCJ 143498

Mass Murderers -
They had a grudge, a gun, and a list of people to visit.

Nancy Ann Lackey Launt - What happened to Nancy Ann Lackey Launt? Was it her Uncle, or did her mother play a role in her death and cover-up?

Who Killed Kaitlyn Arquette? - Kait's family believes she was assassinated because of her knowledge of organized criminal activity in Albuquerque.

Sharon Tate - Sharon Tate Polanski, 8 1/2 months pregnant was murdered in August of 1969 by members of Charles Manson's "family."Official Website sponsored by her sister, Debra Tate.

Ramon Novarro - The story of the 1968 murder of silent screen star Ramon Novarro, and what happened to the killer.

From Violence to Healing, Inc. - More than a quarter of a million people have heard the stories face to face since the first Journey in 1993. When the stories are told, hearts are touched and minds can be changed.

Crime Scene Photography -
Historically, photography has played a significant role in applied criminology, the scientific study and investigation of crime and criminals.

Standard Search Engines - Keyword Access, Subject and Keyword Access, and Meta Search Engines (Searches more than one Search Engine at a time)

First degree murder

There are several types of first degree murder, all of which are defined by A.R.S. § 13-1105.

The first definition of first degree murder is causing the death of another person with either the intent or knowledge that the conduct will cause death and with premeditation. Premeditation is often described as 'malice aforethought,' which basically means that you probably considered the consequence of your conduct for at least a second before you committed the act.

The second definition of first degree murder is causing the death of another person while committing or attempting to commit another crime like sexual conduct with a minor, sexual assault, molestation of a child, various drug-related crimes, kidnapping, burglary, arson, robbery, escape from jail, child abuse, or unlawful flight from a pursuing law enforcement vehicle, or while fleeing from the scene where you committed any of these offenses.

The third definition of first degree murder is causing the death of a law enforcement officer in the line of duty while intending or knowing that the conduct will cause the officer's death.

Any kind of first degree murder is a class 1 felony and is punishable by death or life imprisonment. In Arizona, the trial jury decides whether the defendant has committed first degree murder. Then the judge holds a separate sentencing hearing to determine the proper sentence. A.R.S. § 13-703 outlines the various 'aggravating' and 'mitigating' factors that the judge must consider in reaching a decision about whether to impose the death penalty.

Recently, the Arizona case State v. Ring went before the United States Supreme Court. The Court decided that Arizona's system of jury-conviction and judge sentencing (which is similar to the system in several other states) is un constitutional. This means that now a jury must find a person guilty of First degree murder, and also approve of the death sentence being given as punishment for the murder.

I'm only one. But still, I am one.
I cannot do everything, but still I can do something.
And because I cannot do everything, I will
not refuse to do the something that I can do.
- - Edward Everett Hale